Employee Relations Manager

Laura Apperson

Telephone 209-***-****

**** **** ****** **** * Sacramento CA 95811

mailto:***********@*****.***

Business Philosophy

“A GREAT culture beats a great strategy anytime”

I believe in the value of listening, trusting oneself, empowering subordinates, learning to be resilient,

communicating effectively and always taking responsibility. I also believe strong community

relationships enhance public perception and staff loyalty. Establishing the organization’s R.O.E. (Role of

Everyone) where the entire team/organization understands the message of execution and how they are

critical to support the process. Achievements in every management position held have resulted in Key Performance Indicators which have improved the organizations engagement and financial and efficiencies. My leadership role has also improved cultural/organizational transformation.

Strategic Executive Human Resources Leader/Business Partner/Consultant with broad-based functional skills and multi-industry experience. Core strengths include working collaboratively with leadership and employees to establish sound Strategic Initiatives, Talent Acquisition, & leading edge human resources practices.

Expertise in HR:

Multi-Unit Retail Performance Indicators Leadership Training and Development HRBP Warehouse/Distribution Recruitment & Employment Management Reorganization & Culture Change Employee Relations and Legal Compliance, Mediation to Avoid Litigation Benefits and Compensation Design HR Policies & Procedures JCAHO, ERISA, FDA, HIPPA, OSHA, ADA, LOA, FMLA, STD & LTD PeopleSoft ADP Kronos Taleo

Education/Certifications

MS/HRD & Technology Education, Indiana State University

Highest Honors graduate GPA 4.0

BA/Organizational Management, Xavier University

AA/Public Relations, Black Hawk College

Six Sigma/Green Belt Certified 2014

Lake Forest Graduate School of Management - Leadership Coaching in a Transforming Environment

International Women’s Leadership Association - Selected as a woman of outstanding leadership in 2014

Recipient of academic scholarship Xavier University

“Non-traditional Student Most likely to succeed” Nominated by Cincinnati Magazine and Xavier University.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Vice President of HR & Administration

2016- Present Valley First Credit Unions (12 locations and corporate office) – Modesto, CA

Present

Handle all disability claims and mitigate risk and compliance issues.

HR consultant with union and managerial staff concerning HR laws and reasonable accommodations.

Decrease time to fill by 65% in first 90 days.

Retention rate went from 73% to 81% in 6 months of my focus on retention efforts, goal for 2018 is 85%.

Completely revised organizational structure, created 17 new mission focused positons.

Created cultural Committee cross section of departments and various levels in staff. From 2015 to 2016 38.3% of staff reported that their jobs were somewhat to significantly better than they were the year before. Score on 2017 survey was 65% (Goal was 50%).

Analyzed and restructure commissions and pay structure, regraded all positions.

Created a succession plan for all levels of leadership/IDP’s and talent matrix.

Selected and on boarded new project management software and program.

Employee engagement survey participation went form 81 % to 98.25 %, and rolled out action planning task teams.

Revamped performance management system, created IDP’s and PIPs, Changed corrective action and implemented coaching process and procedure.

Worked with task team in operations and HR team revamped all front line and sales training. This resulted in 12% fewer error rates and loan rates increased by 9% YTD.

Provided new metrics and analytics in HRIS systems.

Created several polices and rewrote the employee guidebook.

Central Pharmacy Regional HR Operations Manager 2012-2016 (Fortune 35 Servicing the Western half of the US)

Walgreens Central Pharmacy Operations – Tempe, AZ

Provide consultative and administrative services for department managers and employees in reference to medical leaves, reasonable accommodations, LOA planning, maternity leaves and related labor contract/bargaining agreement provisions.

Initiated co- wrote and taught the first-ever senior management training program. Training Program was geared towards cultivating managers with a strong emphasis on company culture, vision, level-5 leadership development, retail operations, human resources, employee relations, financial and expense controls.

Managed a Performance Management System which included a Management by Objectives (MBO) component, 360-feedback, and a 4-point rating scale.

Assess training curriculum and needs; create, deliver and track training of all employees from operator, front-lines to senior leaders. Revamped mid-level leadership training resulting in a satisfaction rate averaging 3.5 on a 4.0 scale

Increased Employee Morale by developing and implementing an Employee Recognition and Incentive Program which included annual awards, anniversary gifts and appreciation, and recognition for operational changes implemented due to line level employee involvement.

Optimization of technology by evaluating systems and reporting needs from an HRIS and employee self-service perspective.

Lead performance & succession planning development, implementation and evaluation for high potential employees.

Implemented policies and strategies by leading developing and assigning HR staff to various strategic initiatives and goals driving continuous improvement.

Ensured compensation was aligned effectively across the organization based on performance metrics, strategic planning and mapping and budget integration.

Managed employee engagement survey and initiatives. Improved survey participation by over 28% the first year and 33% in year two. Lead yearlong engagement initiatives resulting in measurable metrics throughout the operation facility.

Created a non-traditional recruitment network resulting in 32% annual hiring (college, technical, affirmative action, and employee referral programs). Increased employee referral program by 80%.

Manager Human Resources & Employee Relations

2010-2012

Empire Caterpillar - Mesa, AZ (included 27 locations in CA, New Mexico & AZ)

Ensures all facility leadership are following company and facility policies are in legal and regional compliance.

Coordinates with department managers to ensure accurate reporting of worker’s compensation claims to support timely reporting and benefit administration.

Recruited and managed the selection of all salaried and hourly employees. Ensured compliance with Federal, state, and corporate E.E.O. Affirmative Action, ADA, HIPPA, OSHA, COBRA, FMLA, LOA requirements and E-Verify Program.

Managed employee engagement initiatives resulting in a 90% participation rate and then managed engagement tactical teams.

Maintained and developed performance appraisal system and tracking metrics decreasing evaluation tardiness and compensation delays by over 35 % over previous years.

Handled complex employee relations issues, disciplinary actions, evaluated and investigated allegations of sexual harassment discrimination or misconduct and responded to EEOC claims. Prepared all Internal Investigation procedures and partnered with corporate attorney on mediations.

Director, Human Resources (included 11 locations and 8 Brands)

2007-2009

Cornerstone Brands (Division of HSN) - West Chester, OH

Recruitment of Merchants, e-Commerce marketing, Web Site Developers, Creative Design & Customer Service personnel, & Retail Managers.

Developed and implemented recruitment, group interview process and new hire orientation for warehouse, distribution as well as customer service and professional positions.

Established and administered polices and procedures, job descriptions, and performance evaluations.

Conducted all Internal Investigations and documented cases for corporate attorneys.

Conducted supervisory training, i.e., interviewing techniques, employee performance issues, sexual harassment, employment law, conflict resolutions, change management, personality type indicators etc.

Managed Workers’ compensation claims, unemployment claims, and developed zero accident culture.

Created tracking queries in People soft to measure analytics and decreased time to fill n by over 60%.

Monitored payroll and employment practices to ensure compliance with state and federal employment laws, including EEO, OSHA, ADA, FMLA, and FLSA.

Mediated all EEOC Claims, Workers’ Compensation, group health benefits, Professional Liability etc.

HR Consultant Mission Possible HR, LLC

& HR Faculty

2000-2008 Specialized in strategy and people alignment

Clients included: Strategic HR LLC, Chiquita International, Wornick Co., Dover Incorporated, Bethesda, Jewish & Mercy Hospitals, Episcopal Retirement Homes, Hammacher Schlemmer Distribution, LSI Industries, Moxie Inc., Central Oil, Up with Paper, ADP, rSmart Inc.

Taught at: Indiana Wesleyan University, Xavier University, Kaplan University, Lincoln Tech, & Southwestern College.

Classes taught: Interviewing Techniques, Salary Negotiations and Total Rewards, HR Management, Compensation Strategies, Career Success, EEOC Compliance, and Intro to Computers, HIPPA, JCAHO & ADA, & Business Writing.

Director of Recruitment Marketing

OCB Technical College-Cincinnati, OH

1995-1999

Managed employee relations issues, internal & external communications, recognition and reward programs, and performance reviews.

Recruited and selected employees for hourly and salaried positions as well as students for programs.

Served as key facilitator between self-empowered work improvement teams which resulted in the highest recruitment and retention rate in school’s history while I was there.

Conducted faculty and supervisor training, i.e., needs assessment, program development, and instruction.

Hosted a live PBS television program that was voted amongst “Top 10 homegrown programs” in the US in 1999.

Charity Support-United Way, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, Relay for Life, American Red Cross Blood drive corporate sponsor.

Linked In Reference Memberships

http://www.linkedin.com/in/lapperson/

Laura Apperson Professional Recommendations

Jonathan Boulos. CPA Controller Valley First Credit Union. Laura brings good energy and a very willing attitude to our organization in the VP of HR role. Her staff is empowered and takes initiative to complete tasks, and that effect reverberates throughout the organization.

Traci Nagasawa, VP of Operations Valley First Credit Union. Laura is an experienced and strategic visionary I have had the pleasure to work professionally with at VFCU. She has laser focus in identifying key gaps and strengths while working collaboratively with the senior team. She moves the needle in the right direction while increasing engagement within organizations.

Gabriela Casa/SCP/SPHR Google HRBP. Laura is a rare gem in the world of HR - Aside from expertise and exceptional business acumen, she has passion and integrity - she is an advocate for the organization and employees alike, balancing business needs with a true human touch. We worked together and subsequently have continued to cross paths as I will seek out her expertise and counsel. Laura is an asset to any organization that values intellectual capacity and emotional intelligence.

Chad Howard- Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Up with Paper Inc., former Director of Business Development and Operations & PR, Cornerstone, Cincinnati, OH

Laura is the most gifted HR Director I've ever worked with. She exceeds all expectations in every facet of an HR Director role including: Recruiting, Communication, Company Involvement, Budget Planning, Competitive Salary Comparisons, Strategic Department Growth Planning, etc. Her most impressive trait and gift lies within her Employee Relations skills. She has the amazing ability to gain the loyalty of every employee she represents and comes in contact with as they know that she genuinely has their best interest at heart. Laura knows the foundation of any company is the employees that make that company function on a daily basis. And she empowers them to reach their full potential.

Tara Burke- Vice President of HR/Chief People Officer SourceLink, Dayton, OH (Former VP of HR for Episcopal Retirement Communities)

“In my professional career, I have never seen anyone with such extraordinary “people” skills. She has a remarkable ability to draw people in, whether it is in a recruitment, training, or employee relations capacity. She usually exceeds the expectations of employees, but does so with a balanced approach and within acceptable business parameters. Laura leads by influencing, which is a wonderful competency. She is an exceptional recruiter and extremely results-oriented. I thoroughly enjoy working with her.

Michael Grollman - CTO TopLine Strategies Phoenix, AZ

Laura and I have worked together through late 2009 and into much of 2010 at rSmart, often on recruitment of IT talent, as well as HR management and organizational development issues. Laura is a hard working colleague with a very intense dedication to work, who often put in 60+ hour weeks. Creative and loyal, Laura was one of the most dedicated and energetic professionals at rSmart. Laura is independent, proactive, customer focused and an insightful co-worker. Deadline oriented, and honest, she’s creative and pro-active in finding solutions, such as with staff level management. Consistently demonstrates experience in areas such as project management and finding effective solutions to human resource and business issues, such as when she jumped in to help drive relo issues when needed. Can focus on many tasks at once; Laura never refuses when you ask her for help. Very high EQ. A huge help in energizing and building effective teams. A winner

Dr. Dennis Mixer-Business Professor/Indiana Wesleyan University, Dayton, OH

“Laura Apperson is exceptional as an HR Professional, educator and career guide. She is in high demand by students, respected by faculty peers and received glowing evaluations. Her sense of humor balances her expectation personal and professional excellence. Her ability to motivate others is infectious”.

Michael Lisi, Director of Asset Protection, Walgreens Corporation, Phoenix AZ

“I've worked alongside with Laura at Walgreens on several occasions and she possesses the human resource skillsets to lead an HR Team. Laura is smart, conscientious, and very passionate about her work. Any organization would be privileged to have Laura on their team”.

Ronda Jacob- Vice President of Creative-Cornerstone Brands, Cincinnati, OH

“Laura is a strategic and talented Human Resource professional. She is a strong leader and trusted colleague who can always be counted on to deliver results and meet any challenge. She has a business savvy for recruiting within the retail industry. In a short time, she was able to fill and retain many open positions throughout the organization with talented professionals. Laura is always finding ways to make a difference. She is an excellent coach and effectively inspires executives within the organization to develop solutions and empower them to reach their full potential. She has a keen knack for balancing the organizations needs with the employee’s needs. Her strategic planning, training, development and employee relation skills are an asset to our organization”

Kathy Ovens- VP of Organizational Effectiveness Hobsons Financial Services, Cincinnati, OH

“I hired Laura to do part time contract recruiting for me. Laura is high energy and dedicated to her profession. She creates and maintains relationships that will continue to add value to her role as an HR professional. She is a trusted and reliable resource”.

Bruce Johnson- Central Arizona Service Operations Manager at Empire Southwest, Mesa, AZ

“Laura's human resources experience and leadership has produced positive significant change at Empire Southwest. Her drive and determination to make Empire Southwest a better place for all employees is unsurpassed”.

Daniel Walsh-President & Chief Executive Officer at Central Oil, Cincinnati OH

“Laura is a forward-thinking organizational development executive that can quickly identify the strengths and weaknesses of an existing team, and, provide solutions to improve and upgrade those teams quickly. Laura is not afraid to challenge the status quo, and her candid dialog is greatly beneficial to the organization that is looking to grow and get better. I enjoyed working with Laura, and would do so again in a minute given the chance.

Karen Crawford, Vice President at rSmart, Phoenix, AZ

At rSmart, Laura was given the task of setting up and developing an HR department; she worked closely with managers, quickly gaining their trust, to define and implement roles, procedures and guidelines for the company. Laura worked tirelessly and brought structure to the company in HR and helped in other areas as well. She also brought a sense of fun to the company. She also brought a sense of fun to the company. I enjoyed working with Laura and hope that we could work together someday in the future again.

Maria Scolone- Marketing Executive. Digital Marketing Pioneer, Phoenix, AZ

Start-ups can be tricky; there are many different pieces moving at varying speeds. Laura's professionalism, her attention to detail and her overall outlook on doing "what's right" far exceeds any I've encountered in my 20+ years. I would highly recommend Laura to any future employer; they would be lucky to have her.

Sylvia Bilban-President, Purchasing at LSI Industries, Inc. Cincinnati, OH

Laura is an outstanding HR professional. She brings her organization, business, project management, and great attitude to all her projects. She works well with people of all levels and is very dedicated to meeting her customer's needs. A great person to have on your team!

Charles Hoagland- Caterpillar New Machinery Equipment Manager, Mesa AZ

Laura is an excellent business partner. Her high energy and ability to resolve difficult personnel challenges were very beneficial to our facility's success. She is thorough, caring and well researched in her approach to employee relations issues. Laura is a strong positive asset and she will

Shane Riffle- CEO/Vice President of Operations, YMCA of Coastal Carolina. Myrtle Beach, SC

Shane Riffle Vice President of Operations, YMCA of Coastal Carolina When hired, Laura brought in a whole new skill set to the HR role at the Countryside YMCA. Her competencies and relationship based style were highly effective and helped move the organization forward with hiring practices, leadership development, staff development, and much more. She was a key senior leader and helped support and mentor many staff during her time at the Y. I was one of those people and will always appreciate the encouragement and support she provided me and other members on my team.

Linda Schulman - Recovery Supervisor at Hayneedle

Laura is easily approachable in her role as Director of Human Resources. She takes the time to listen and provides honest and timely feedback. She has been a champion for many causes on my behalf with the company as well as those I work with. In my dealings with Laura I have appreciated her no nonsense approach which is sprinkled with a touch of humor.

Lenin Gali- Sr. Director, Enterprise Data and Analytics Services at Ubisoft, CA

Laura is an exceptional Human Resources professional. She has made great strides in our organization and made positive and significant impact on lot of our executives and employee’s careers. She protects the organizations interest while caring for the employee’s future and performance. She comes up with several innovative ways to test people’s abilities, rank their personalities and suggest where to improve. She is the people favorite.

Tiena Manypenny- Vice President of Ecommerce at Dean & DeLuca, Wichita Kansas

Laura is a results-driven HR Director, who is outstanding with employee relations, organizational development, team and culture building, and employee conflict. She's been instrumental in helping to advance the development of our Marketing team by creating fun activities to help us know each other better and by soliciting feedback from employees at all levels. Laura's really helped improve employee relations and organizational development.

Sasha Collier -VP of Data Platforms, Moxie Inc., Atlanta, GA

I highly recommend Laura to any employer. Laura is an outstanding performer and communicator.

She is not your traditional HR professional who has policing and administrative role. She adds an enormous contribution to the success of the overall strategic goal of Cornerstone Brands. She changed the culture, attitudes and values of the entire organization. She gives a lot of her personal time to Cornerstone and acts as a consultant to all of us.

Leora Kirby Vice President of HR, Climate Control Group, Inc. Oklahoma City, OK

Laura handled every HR related project that was given to her with passion to complete to the best of her ability. She was a pleasure to work with and I could count on her to meet the deadlines she was given.

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Professional References

1.Chad Howard - Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Up with Paper Inc. 513-***-****, mailto:***************@*****.***

2.Tara Burke - Vice President of HR/Chief People Officer SourceLink, Wornick 513-***-****.

3.Robin Wilson - Sr. Operations Manager/Walgreens 480-***-****

4.Roxanne Al-Fayez- Sr. CEO Cornerstone Brands, ***@***.*** 877-***-****

5.Terri Newport- HR Recruiting Manger- Cornerstone/HSN 623-***-****

6.Jill Matosky - Regional VP Financial Aid Lincoln College of Technology, 513-***-****

7.Gabriella Casas- Diversity HR Leader Caterpillar, HRBP Google- 480-***-****

8.Ronda Jacob- VP Cornerstone Brands/Frontgate 513-***-**** *****@**********.***

9.Leora Kirby- Vice President of HR, Climate Control Group, Inc. Leora@jshrpcom

10.Matthew Cook- Senior Director, Central Pharmacy Operations at Walgreens, 847-***-****

11.James Kelly-VP of Executive Administration/Compliance VFCU- 209-***-****

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